Georgia Predicted to Lose Elite 5-Star Recruit to SEC Powerhouse

Georgia Predicted to Lose Elite 5-Star Recruit to SEC Powerhouse originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

Led by head coach Kirby Smart, the Georgia Bulldogs have already assembled an impressive 2026 recruiting class, ranking No. 1 in the nation with 29 commitments, and they could soon make another big addition.

On Monday, Rivals' Hayes Fawcett reported that they, along with the Clemson Tigers, the Oregon Ducks and the Texas Longhorns, were named the four finalists for linebacker Tyler Atkinson, who will be making the decision on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs have been especially active in Atkinson's recruiting process, hosting him a total of 14 times, while the linebacker is also from Lawrenceville, Georgia, which is nearly an hour from Athens.

Unfortunately for them, though, things are starting to trend in the wrong direction, because on Monday, Rivals' Steve Wiltfong and Chad Simmons both logged expert predictions for Atkinson to commit to Texas.

NEW: Rivals’ @ChadSimmons_ and @SWiltfong_ have logged expert predictions for Texas to land No. 1 LB Tyler Atkinson🤘

Atkinson is set to announce his commitment tomorrow.

Read: https://t.co/WygF8tB7Xbpic.twitter.com/Zy07y082gS

— Rivals (@Rivals) July 14, 2025

This outcome would be huge for the Longhorns, as Rivals Industry Rankings place him as a five-star recruit, the No. 1 linebacker, the No. 1 player in Georgia and the No. 9 player in the nation.

Over the past three seasons for Grayson High School, he's put up some extremely impressive numbers, accumulating 475 tackles, 79 tackles for loss, 31.5 sacks, 93 hurries, seven pass deflections, and four forced fumbles.

What would make this addition for Texas even more exciting is that Atkinson could be their third five-star addition, joining quarterback Dia Bell and EDGE Richard Wesley.

On the other hand, for Georgia and Smart, this would sting a bit more, as they've only been able to land one linebacker in the 2026 recruiting class so far in the form of four-star Shadarius Toodle.

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.